25 August 2022

Letter to the Boomers 2022

Our usual fact-based self-evaluation

Four years after the previous edition. Two years of a pandemic that forced two reschedules. The celebration of the 25th anniversary (1997-2022). Boom Festival 2022 had several events in one edition.

Despite the hardship, what remains is the joy of the community reunion. From the unforgettable vibe felt, the positive spirit, the countless acts of free expression.

We know that Boom is not an easy festival: whether to produce and build it, or to experience it — the heat puts us all on the edge. Together with you we overcame it all: the pandemic, the heat, the negativity bias that society imposed on every single citizen on the planet during a worldwide pandemic — for what many people consider the best edition ever.

At this moment we’re continuing disassembly, filling in the inventories and cleaning the land. Most of the crew is writing the post-event report. And as is tradition, after one month, we write you this sincere letter of reflection on the edition.

May we continue to serve the community and keep improving Boom thanks to your precious feedback.

SOME FACTS, FIRST

In every edition, since we became stewards of Boomland in 2010, we have been increasing the structures and infrastructures for better comfort. With the pandemic we had more time to achieve this goal. This is ongoing work that we will continue to pursue for the coming editions. Please see the tables below and some of our comments.

Table 1. General Audience
This table includes all audience, staff, artists, facilitators, guests, therapists, and other professionals. Contrary to hearsay, attendance at Boom 2022 didn’t exceed that of Boom 2018 (42.219 people).

Table 2. Pricing and estimated daily pricing in average
These are the three types of tickets we offer. We ask the community to constructively evaluate our pricing and what we offer at Boom, in comparison to worldwide at festivals, parties, retreats, camping sites, and clubs, by dividing the ticket price per days.Stay tuned for the Boom financial report, which will be published on the official website.

Table 3. Boom Staff
The pandemic gave us the opportunity to make significant progress on many projects during 2020/22, which was reflected in more efficient processes and smaller teams.
We had more time to build Boom 2022 and used it, working hard as a team during the pandemic. This meant we needed less people even if we spent more hours building Boom 2022 and taking care of Boomland.

Table 4. Facilities
We have continued to increase the number of showers and compostable toilets (since their introduction in 2006). This edition we achieved our goal – there were only 100% eco toilets available at Boomland.

Table 5. Hectares Available

Hectares Available for Residential Areas: In 2022 there were more camping spots and more space for both cars and caravans. Due to the increased number of caravans, we are studying ways to improve caravan spaces, even though most of these (Caravan Parks B, C, D) are not owned by Boom.

Table 6. Shows

We are very happy with the amount and quality of shows given to the community. Thank you to all the artists and facilitators for the outstanding contribution.

Table 7. Workshops & Lectures

Boom is a festival of culture. Hundreds of facilitators and healers shared insights, knowledge and toolkits for a regenerative Anthropocene.

Table 8. F&B / Stalls

We provide spaces for delicious food from across the world. Restaurants do a great job. Why did the number drop? We opted to allow bigger restaurants with more capacity to serve you compared to previous editions. Unfortunately there were also some withdrawals, days before the festival.

THE 5 MAIN CHALLENGES WE FACED

1. Pandemic: Two years of a pandemic changed the world. Our organisation has not escaped its effects. We had to reframe many of our priorities, alwayskeeping the maximum care of the team, the land and the connection to the Boomer community in mind. This complex period will not be quickly forgotten.

We struggled through unprecedented financial difficulties and only your support via Boom tickets allowed us to survive. A very warm heartfelt thanks for your support during these challenging times.

2. Crisis, greed, inflation post-pandemic: The crisis in supply chains, limits in travels, people fleeing from the cultural sector and recently human greed or geopolitics that have made inflation skyrocket - all these factors made this production even more complex than before.

We had to adapt prices, without losing sight of the international representation of Boom and the rising need of resources for the production to happen.

3. Fire and Heat: It was one of the hottest editions we've experienced so far. The month of July was the hottest in 92 years in Portugal. During the building phase, we lived through terrible weeks: there were records of the highest temperatures across the country and 13 July was the hottest day of the year.

Our preventive measures against fires were all positively evaluated and authorised by authorities. Yet, we faced a new law that in some circumstances doesn't allow events from happening in some regions to prevent fires. A rumour circulated that Boom had been cancelled.

On this matter, for the coming editions we will carry on improving the prevention of fire risks measures and more shaded spaces to protect against the heat.

4. Water & drought: In addition to the heat, this year Portugal has experienced drought and the driest year since there are records. It means that water management measures have to be rational.

We do our part at Boomland. The management of the water that comes from the main grid, and feeds Boomers and the populations around alike, is also under pressure.

In order to manage this precious resource we have been working with local and regional officials. The water arrived with little pressure which made it difficult for us to supply for several moments as planned. We are already studying measures for water supply in 2023. Help us #SaveTheDrop.

5. Waiting times to get in: Queuing to get into a festival is common — it comes with the job. But we are aware the waiting time was excessive: we faced structural logistical difficulties — limited access roads and new processes for the prevention of fires — added to more caravans, a big desire to get to Boomland, some issues at the Car and Caravan Parks, and even more willingness to dance (at last!).

We are studying how to improve this situation and make your arrival less time consuming.

THE 5 THINGS WE ARE MOST HAPPY WITH?

1. The vibe of Boomers: What a fantastic year to come to Boom. The friendly atmosphere, the gentleness, the positivity that was felt in each eye, in each gesture. The feeling of freedom, of conscious celebration. Thank you very much, muito obrigado, you were the best inspiration.

2. The amount of kids: A sign of the maturity of a community is the attention given to children and teens. We had a record number of kids (652). Thank you to all parents for seeing Boom as an educational space. We will continue improving conditions for kids, parents and families.

3. The diversity of the program: With 21 stages of various concepts, Boom is a psychedelic multidisciplinary festival. We invite established artists with the upcoming generations.

From music, to conferences, public art, to the innovative gallery of NFTs and crypto-art that has mingled with psychedelic arts, performances and interactivity, workshops and free expression, we are happy with the diversity provided. And motivated to do better in 2023.

4. The brand new architecture presented: Together with Portuguese architects of the new generation, we co-created and built The Gardens and Alchemy Circle structures. It was inspired by biomimetic architecture and will remain up for a few editions. Did you like it?

5. The improvements and new facilities at Boomland: During the two years of the pandemic we haven't stopped working to give you more. We increased your comfort using eco and recycled materials at the new facilities, such as showers, toilets and urinals.

For more information see the table 4 and the next Eco Letter to the Boomers.

5 THINGS TO STAY TUNED ABOUT THE FUTURE

1. Edition in 2023: After four years without an edition and to launch a new pattern after 25 years of Boom we feel that we should do two consecutive editions, in 2022 and 2023.

2. Theme 2023 - Radical Love: Boom 2023 will take place on 20-27 July, Waxing Crescent Moon. Tickets available in October 2022. We can’t wait to share more on this theme on the upcoming website, also due in October.

3. Will Boom be annual? No. Boom does not intend to become annual. The new pattern we want to implement is: editions in odd years (2023, 2025, and so on); we will follow various moon phases, not specifically the full moon; we will not be attached to the month of August anymore, due to the effects of climate change and intensive farming in the region around Boomland.

We will carry on with the Being Camp and with the Being Gathering. The latter is due for 2024.

4. What about Boomland? Boomland is taken care of daily by a team of dozens of people. It follows cycles of rest, regeneration, reforestation and sometimes opens to the public.

Doing Boom two years in a row doesn't go against the philosophy of letting the earth rest.

We will publish on this topic via the website in 2023. We would like to thank the most sensitive ones on environmental matters among the community for talking about this topic.

5. Will you carry on with the educational activities at Boomland? Yes. There will be two courses this year: Integrative Holistic Health (13-29 Sep) and Permaculture Design Certificate — PDC (4-19 Oct). You can find all the detailed information on the following link.

We hope this newsletter has been enlightening and demonstrative of our growing desire to improve and to provide you with a Boom Festival edition that is always better than the previous one.

Soon we will send you the Eco Letter, where you can stay up to date with what we have been doing in the field of environment, social projects and sustainability, one of our most esteemed pillars.

Boom 2023 will take place on 20-27 July, Waxing Crescent Moon. Tickets available in October 2022.

Thank you, Muito Obrigado for your inspiration and support.